Family Medicine CaRMS Interview: Questions and How Programs Interview

What family medicine programs assess

Family medicine programs look for the abilities in the CFPC's CanMEDS-Family Medicine framework, plus a real commitment to family medicine.

How each program interviews

The 2027 program descriptions describe online interviews. Many programs give you one interview for all of their sites, so one good interview counts everywhere you applied in that program.

The FMProC situational judgement test

FMProC (Family Medicine Professional Choices) is an online situational judgement test. For the 2027 cycle, all 18 family medicine programs require it, and you sit it once.

• What it measures. Ottawa says it assesses professional integrity, adaptability, team collaboration and empathy or compassion.
• 2027 dates. Registration ran from September 10 to October 22, 2026, and the test window runs from October 15 to October 29, 2026.
• One cycle only. A score from a past cycle does not carry over. You must retake it.
• Weight varies. UBC counts it for 5%, McMaster adds it after interviews, and Saskatchewan uses it for information only for now.

Rural and generalist themes

Many programs train for rural practice, so be ready to talk about community, scope of practice and working with limited resources.

• Rural rotations. UBC residents do a mandatory two-month rural family medicine rotation in second year.
• Rural addenda. McMaster and Western ask for a rural addendum for their rural sites. McMaster has 7 urban and 6 rural sites.
• Underserved care. Manitoba lists commitment to underserved populations among its interview criteria.
• Practice anywhere. Toronto says its goal is to prepare residents to practice family medicine anywhere in the province, urban or rural.

Practice questions we wrote

These are our practice questions, built around the CanMEDS-FM Roles. They are not any program's own questions.

• "Why family medicine and not a narrower specialty?" Tie it to continuity and the breadth of problems you enjoyed on your family medicine rotation.
• "Tell me about a patient whose problem was unclear at first." Show how you handled uncertainty and when you asked for help.
• "Describe a time you worked with a nurse, pharmacist or social worker to help a patient." Name what they knew that you did not.
• "A patient keeps missing appointments. What do you do?" Look for the reason, such as transport, cost or trust, before deciding the patient does not care.
• "What would you bring to a small rural community?" Use one real experience, not a general wish.
• "Tell me about a mistake you made and what you changed." Own it, say what you did right away and what you do differently now.

How to prepare

Short, structured virtual interviews reward clear stories and a specific reason for each program.

• Read every program description. Note the format, length and dates for each program you apply to. They differ a lot.
• Map stories to the Roles. Prepare one story each for communicator, collaborator, health advocate, leader, scholar and professional moments.
• Practice MMI and pair formats. If you apply to UBC, SFU or McMaster, practice short timed stations. For pair interviews, practice a calm 20 to 30 minute conversation.
• Know each site. Some programs adjust rank lists by site, so know why you want each one.

Frequently asked questions